A Flame in the Darkness
by Bob the Robot
Summary: Zuko and Uncle Iroh have recently joined Aang and his gang to defeat The Fire Lord Ozai. But with conflicting thoughts, can Zuko really fight with the people who he had fought against? A Zuko story.


I sat on the ground near the fire. It was warm. I had made it just a few hours ago. My Uncle Iroh was sitting down on his blanket. Drinking his tea like always. He was talking to the young man that used to be my enemy. Sokka is his name. I don't quite remember what they were talking about to tell you the truth, but I didn't really care. They were probably talking about something smart or something that I wasn't interested in. My Uncle Iroh is actually a very wise man. Old, but wise. On many occasions he has turned me around. Made me make the right choices.

He's more of a father than my real one.

To tell you the truth, I was still hesitant about my new alliance with the Avatar. I would have never thought about being in this type of situation. For most of my young adulthood I had been searching for him. He was the one way I could have gone back to the Fire Nation and once again have a good standing with my father. The Fire Lord. Most of my young adulthood was spent on finding this young boy. But even when I was a fugitive to the Fire Nation I didn't travel with him. For some reason, I thought that I could still somehow restore my name in the Fire Nation. It was a dream. A fool's dream. But now I sit with him. His friends surround me.

There was Sokka. Not the quietest person I've ever met. Definitely someone who speaks his mind. But he's actually a fearless warrior when he wants to be. I've encountered him on many occasions. He's a brave young man. I personally did not like him too much, but I respected him. He was not a bender, oddly enough. His sister is.

Katara. That's Sokka's sister. She's a Waterbender. A strong Waterbender in fact. I also have come across her in battle. She posses the finesse and strength of someone I've never encountered since. Maybe my sister. But that's a whole other type of strength. Katara is gentler. Softer. Kinder. There's something about her. I don't quite know what it is. But it's there. Even when I have fought her, I felt it. It didn't stop her from freezing me though. She's frozen me a lot. I guess she's a big reason why I'm here. I never thought that I'd have feelings this way, but I do. She's different than most. Kinder. Softer. Gentler. She was also talking to Uncle Iroh with Sokka.

Another traveler is the Earthbender by the name of Toph. The Blind Bandit. She is a small person. She too speaks her mind and is very blunt about what she has on her mind. She's blind though. I can understand why she has such a rough personality. Just like her element. Rough like a rock. She told me about her childhood. How her parents were too overprotective even though she could take care of herself. But she can. She can take care of herself. She, too, is a warrior. A strong warrior. Her Earth bending abilities give her the sense of sight. And she's excellent at it. I think she has a soft spot for Sokka. I may be reading too much into it, but there might be something there.

Then there's the Avatar. Aang the Airbender. He is just a child. No older than twelve maybe. I've grown to respect him as well. He has, on all attempts, managed to evade and or destroy those who try to get in his way. I was one of those. He may be the Avatar, but like I said before, he's a child. He wants to have fun. But I don't think he understands the importance of his mission. I know how corrupt my father is, but does he know? I don't think so. He has mastered most of the four elements. His Firebending skills are lacking. But I think my uncle will help him develop that.

I have joined the group. But I don't really think that I'm apart of it. I'm here, sitting around a fire with them. But I'm not with them. My uncle might be. He always gets along with people. I sat there and looked at the faces of the individuals seating around the flame. They were foreign. New. Unknown. I felt like a loner. I really did.

My uncle has taught me balance. It seems to me like there is balance between this group. An Airbender. A Waterbender. An Earthbender. And now me. A Firebender. There's a lot to do before the comet arrives. I've learned of the comet, and I know that my father will put it to use for his evil deeds. My father is wicked. Corrupt. He needs to be stopped. I touched my face. The scar. It reminded me of how I had let my father down. But now it meant something much more than just a failure. It now was a reminder of the cruelty that my father was able to do. It was a reminder of the reason why I had joined the group.

My uncle sat up and laughed, "Well, I think it's time to eat, wouldn't you say, Zuko?"

I didn't want to admit it, but I was hungry. I nodded my head, "Yes, Uncle."

He smiled.

Sokka smiled and awkwardly laughed, "Um, yeah, we don't have much food… actually I think we don't have any. Momo just ate the last thing we have."

The little flying lemur looked up and cocked its head sideways. It chirped a little and flew away to look for more food. I looked down at where the food used to be. I was actually very hungry. But I didn't want to admit it. I heard Uncle Iroh laughing at the flying lemur's antics.

The Avatar was sitting across from me. He was sitting next to Katara. I looked away. I don't know why, but I didn't want to look at that. I looked down at my hands. They were shivering. I looked up at Sokka who was stretching for some reason.

My uncle took a sip from his tea, "Well, I think it would be best if someone goes out and finds food for the rest of us."

"I don't think it should be me," Sokka added.

Katara sighed, "I'll go. Since my brother is too cowardly to go hunting."

I smiled.

Sokka started making a big fuss about how he wasn't a coward. He can be quite loud sometimes. My uncle quieted him down. The Avatar stood up, next to Katara.

"I'll go with her," he said.

Uncle Iroh shook his head, "I don't think that is the wisest choice, Aang. Since it is dark right now, Katara will need a guiding light."

All eyes turned to me.

"Zuko," Uncle Iroh began, "Will you accompany the pretty lady on her hunt?"

I looked at Katara. She looked at me and smiled. I looked away. I looked back at my hand. It was still shivering. I stood up and grabbed my swords and gently placed them into their sheaths that were located on my back, "Yes, Uncle, I will go with her."

Uncle Iroh laughed with satisfaction, "Okay then. You two can come back in an hour or two if you cannot find anything. I will share my tea with the rest of you if there is nothing else to eat."

Sokka sat down, "No offense, old timer, but my stomach needs more than just tea."

The Avatar and Toph laughed. I went to the fire and took out a piece of wood that was partially lit on fire. I made it brighter and began walking towards the forest that we were just outside of.

I heard more laughing from the camp site. Something Sokka did no doubt. I did not see what was so funny. I looked at Katara who was standing at my right side. She smiled and chuckled a little, "My brother."

I didn't know what to do. So I didn't do anything. I walked past her and into the woods with my torch. It was hard to see anything, but I could still see a little. It was silent. There wasn't much conversation between us. There wasn't much to talk about, actually.

I stopped at a tree because I heard a noise. There could be some edible birds. I took my sword halfway out of its sheath, just in case it wasn't. I waited. Nothing came so I placed it back into its place and continued walking. I suddenly realized that I did not hear Katara walking behind me. I turned around and she was gone.

"Katara?" I said into the darkness. There was nothing. I began to worry. I slowly retraced my steps that I made from the where I was standing back to the tree where I heard the rustling. As the light of my torch illuminated more, I noticed the blue of her clothes. She was kneeled down picking at some vegetation and placing them into her travel pack.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Getting some fruits and vegetation for Aang."

I looked at her a little confused.

"Aang doesn't eat meat," she explained.

I nodded my head and waited for her to finish. I just stood there. Not saying anything. As usual. She finished. She placed her pack straps over her shoulders and walked pass me. I walked in front of her with the light.

It was quiet again.

Suddenly Katara asked, "It's nice that you decided to join us, Zuko."

I didn't know what to say. So I stayed silent.

"I mean, I never thought that you were that type of person. Aang did."

"The Avatar?" I asked.

"Yes. He believed in you for some reason. I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just that you were trying to capture him and he still thought that there was something good about you."

I thought about what she said. It was an interesting thing to think about. The Avatar did think that about me. I remember when he told me about his friend that was in The Fire Nation. He asked me if under better circumstances we could be friends. I shot a fire ball at him. The strange thing is that I didn't think that we could even come to respect each other, much less become friends. But that was when I was trying to restore my name to The Fire Nation.

I sat down on an over turned log, "I never knew that, but I've always had an idea. He had been sympathetic to me in the past."

"Aang is a very kind person."

"But I was never nice to him."

Katara sat next to me, "Everyone can change, Zuko. That's the great thing about life. It gives you chances and when you take them, it works out for the best. Like you and your uncle. You've joined us to fight against The Fire Lord. You're fighting for the greatest cause that there could be."

I lowered my head, "Fire Lord Ozai is my father."

I don't know why I told her that, but I felt like I needed to. I didn't look at her to see her reaction. I could tell by her voice, "Its okay, Zuko. I think that since you decided to fight with us, rather than against us, you already know that your father is corrupt and a ruthless individual."

"I know."

She stood up. I looked up at her and she smiled. The torch light flickered back and forth. Our shadows danced on the trees. A secret dance. I couldn't help but smile to. She put a gentle hand on my shoulder, "Zuko, I'm going to tell you right now: I'm regret thinking that you could never change. I'm glad you're traveling with us. Aang can use all the help that he can get and I think that you're a welcome addition to the group."

I stood up.

"We better go back. I guess we can eat the vegetables that I gathered."

I started thinking about what she said. She seemed very honest in what she said. I believed her when she said that she regretted what she thought about me. And I didn't resent her for it.

We walked through the forest back to the campsite. She didn't say anything. Neither did I. I think it was better that way. What she said was enough. I looked ahead and saw the fire. We broke the clearing to the campsite.

"It's about time you two came back," Toph said.

Katara put her hands on her hips. She said in a very sarcastic voice, "Well if you're going to have an attitude you're not going to get any dinner."

Sokka broke in, "Uh, what did you two get?"

Katara opened the bag, "Can't you see?"

"I can't."

I sat down, "Vegetables."

Sokka looked at Katara in shock, "Vegetables?"

"And fruit," added Katara.

I grinned.

Sokka started making a big fuss again, "You know I love meat! How can you get greens and fruit when you know that I want some meat? I'm a meat-eater, that's what I do: eat meat!"

Katara went over to Aang, "Well then you don't have to eat. Aang will eat your share."

Aang got into the little game, "Yeah, Sokka, no vegetables for you. Yum!"

"Too bad, Sokka," said Toph, getting into it, "You're missing out."

I looked over at my uncle. He was watching the show. And enjoying himself. He sipped his tea and chuckled at Sokka's growing frustration. I went over to him and sat down next to him.

"Hello, there, Zuko."

"Hello, Uncle."

"How was the hunt?"

I thought about what he said. I looked at him and he looked at me. He winked. He was talking about Katara. It went well. Not because I got to get to know Katara, but because she helped me understand that I didn't have to feel like a loner. I didn't want to admit it to him though. I shrugged, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Uncle Iroh took another sip, "I hope you got what you wanted."

Katara, Toph, and The Avatar, were laughing at Sokka. He was sitting on the side with a cup of tea. He muttered something that I couldn't hear. They started laughing again. They started eating their vegetables and fruits. I looked at Sokka. He didn't look sincerely mad. I think he was playing along with their joke. Katara was eating. She was laughing. She was sitting next to The Avatar again. He too was enjoying his food.

Toph was enjoying herself. Her bare feet wriggled on the ground. Seeing everyone's expression's no doubt. She tilted her head, "Not hungry, Flamo?"

She was referring to me. She had a nickname for most of them, I think. I placed my feet in front of me and balanced myself with my hands, "I'm not that hungry."

She shrugged her shoulders and continued eating.

Katara got up and walked over to me. She placed a plate of vegetables and fruit on my lap, "Here, eat. You need it."

Uncle Iroh nodded his head, "The girl in right, you know. Keep your strength up with food."

I managed to smile. She smiled back. I don't know it was so hard to smile at her. But it was. Before she left to go sit down I managed to let out, "Thank you." She turned around and smiled again.

Uncle Iroh took another sip from his cup of tea, "What do you think about this, are you having doubts, Zuko?

I thought about he said. I looked back at Katara. She was talking to the Avatar. To Aang. I shook my head, "No, Uncle. I do not have doubts. I think we made the right choice."

Uncle Iroh sipped his tea and nodded his head.

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